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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/14/an-energy-war-is-being-waged-former-oil-boss-warns-of-price-rises-after-ukraine-infrastructure-attacks>
"A dramatic rise in European energy prices is inevitable if the Russian
destruction of Ukrainian energy infrastructure continues unabated, the former
chief executive of Ukraine’s state-owned oil company has warned.
Andriy Kobolyev, a former head of Naftogaz, said in an interview with the
Guardian: “Russia is trying to wage a global energy war and Ukraine is part of
that war and if the markets perceive that Russia is winning that war the
consequences will be very serious. You will see a spike in prices all round the
globe”.
He said there would be no point holding any more Ukraine reconstruction
conferences until Ukraine is supplied with weapons to save its energy
infrastructure from the wave of attacks by Iranian-made Shahed drones and
guided bombs. “There will be no Ukrainian economy to reconstruct,” he said.
Last week a massive missile and drone attack destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest
power plants and damaged others, as part of a renewed Russian campaign
targeting energy infrastructure.
The Trypilska plant, which was the biggest energy supplier for the Kyiv,
Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions, was struck numerous times, destroying the
transformer, turbines and generators and leaving the plant ablaze.
Kobolyev, one of Ukraine’s energy specialists and the chief executive of
Naftogaz for seven years to 2021, has been fighting corruption charges in
Ukraine that he claims are politically motivated.
He said the impact on energy prices of the Russian attacks would be twofold – a
potential increase in Ukrainian demand for gas and electricity in Europe, and
an overall market response to the likelihood that Vladimir Putin is winning the
war in Ukraine. “If European energy markets start to believe Russians are
winning this war it will have a dramatic negative effect on energy prices”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics